Ted Belanger
On April 9, 27 members of the CycleMasters bicycled for three days through these popular southern Arizona towns of Patagonia, Sonoita, the Wine Country of Elgin, Tombstone and Sierra Vista. The first afternoon ride was a warm up ride from Sonoita to Patagonia with a stop at the Ground Coffee Shop. This 25 mile ride was followed by a well-deserved Happy Hour at the Sonita Inn which our group had to ourselves all night. We then had a marvelous private dinner at The Café located just down the street. Chef Adam created his signature Ape Burger for many of us. He creates each half pound burger differently for each order and they were delicious! His chicken Marsala, chicken parmesan and eggplant parmesan were also fabulous. If you ever visit Sonoita to see the wineries, stop at The Café for a great meal.
Our second day started at 8:00 a.m. riding through the wine country on our way to Tombstone. The enjoyable ride of 42 miles involved some hills with the last climb into town testing your training. After lunch and exploring the town we all checked into The Tombstone Grand Hotel, freshened up and relaxed and enjoyed another Happy Hour before our pizza party. We then finished the evening off with sitting around the outdoor fire pit and talking about the possible winds predicted for tomorrow.
The third day ride was 50 miles through Sierra Vista returning to Sonoita. We left early at 7:30 a.m. to beat the wind and the heat. The first 17 miles were mostly downhill. Oops – sorry Mary and Pam – I forgot the first four miles of climbing! After our first sag stop supported by Pat Somerhalder and Patsy Chase, the riders skirted around the town and stopped at our second Sag stop at 35 miles supported by Gloria Belanger and Linda Hart. They then turned directions and had a headwind for the last 15 miles making it a very challenging finish ride.
A great time was had by all! Our motto for this ride was “We cycle for fun, fitness and friendship!”